Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-01-13
An Able Plea for Athens

To the Edit,r Of the Republic:
Ny attention has been called to an article
in one of your recent issues. m which yor
preparations for higher education upon th,
university at Columbus, TO the exclusion OF
those at oxford and Athens. Without
questioning the wisdom of your advice.
desire briefly To discuss the situation as
regard it, so far a it concerns the institu
tion at Athens.
The first point to consider is whether the
state legislature would be- likely TO give Il
the Ohio State university what il has giver
or has been asked 10 give TO the Ohio uni
versity. Taken together, the grants TO the
three institutions have been much smaller
than those of most other states, actually
and compared with their wealth. still
smaller, propOrtionally. II ii can be ren
dered probable that Columbus would have
got what the other two institutions have re
ceived, the reasons for concentration are 81
much the stronger.
In case the state should refuse to appro
pirate further sums to the Ohio university
wnat Is the institution TO do? Originally
provided with a liberal endowment, il wa:
fearfully reduced by an act of the legisla
ture. Such endowment, as it is, can only
be used for university purposes. Its char
tered rights cannot be invaded. II is By ne
means clear that its trustees, even If so dis
posed, could Use its funds anywhere else.
believe the legislature solved the some
what difficult problem of properly utilizing
three state universities last winter by ap
propriating a small sum for a Normal de-
partment in connection with the Atlel.
university. Normal instruction of a higt
grade is what the educators of the state
have been asking for these twenty-five
years. They are at last in fair way u
get it. and are looking upon our work with
an interest that is Well nigh universal. II
will be impossible TO properly do this work
except upon the basis of an endowment
though it be small. No tuition ought 10 bt
charged, in order to afford every encourage
ment to prospective teachers TO, prepare
thoroughly for their work in the public
schools Some of the larger cities have
found il advisable TO maintain their owr
Normal schools. because the state supports
none. but the smaller cities and towns have
been Obliged to get along as they could
Our funds are sufficient to enable us Il
carry on our regular college work with bu,
slight assistance from the state-we car
hardly expect ever to get back even one
half the original endOwment-and TO main
tain a vigorous Normal department also
This is the wise thing 10 do. There will bt
no duplication of work and the
Normal department will have the
use of all the appliances nov
on hand for college work The prop.
erty Of the college is worth, perhaps. one
fourth of a million dollars. Now. if il were
legally possible to invest this whole amount
somewhere else, if it could be realized in
the property, this is far from possible. Ii
the work of the state colleges can be so dis
tributed as practically to avoid duplication,
it matters little whether there be one or
half dozen.
But there is one other reason why the
Ohio University deserves the favorable con-
sideratiOn of the state. 1t is now one hun.
dred wears since its existence was provided
for in the famous ordinance of 1857. II
was founded in the year in which Ohio be-
came a state. and antedates all other liter.
ary institutions. not only of Ohio, but OF
the entire northwest. Its main building Is
the oldest college edifice in the state, and il
is not only the alma mater of the oldest
college graduate west of the Alleghanies,
but of one who is equally an honor 10 the
state and nation. And this may be said
with no diSparagement to the other distin.
guished alumni that appear upon its roster
since 1915. Let the work of the state uni
versities be properly divided, and let them
be sustained as they deserve TO be.
ATHENS, o., Jan. IL, 81.